The following invention relates to a method and apparatus for increasing the rate of evaporation of water in a humid atmosphere through the application of a high frequency electric field.
In many parts of the world, potable water is a scarce resource. In such areas, it is not uncommon for large quantities of potable water to be supplied through the use of various thermal distillation methods. One of the most efficient currently used distilleries is the so called "flash evaporator" in which water to be evaporated is sprayed on long, hot pipes. However, even in a relatively efficient distillery, a significant problem is the slowing of the rate of evaporation caused by humid air at the evaporating surface of the water.
Even as water molecules are being evaporated, water molecules present in a humid atmosphere above the evaporant condense on the liquid water surface. The net evaporation rate of the liquid water is dependent upon the difference between these two processes. The greater the humidity of the atmosphere above the evaporant, the greater the reduction in the net evaporation rate.
One solution to this problem is to prevent the formation of a humid atmosphere at the evaporating surface of the water. This can be done in a variety of ways such as through the creation of a constant air flow at the surface of the water. However, this solution has the drawback of requiring the expenditure of large amounts of energy, thus decreasing the efficiency of the distillery.
It would therefore be desirable to have an energy-efficient method for counteracting the decrease in the rate of evaporation of water caused by a humid atmosphere at the evaporating surface of the water.